Earlier this year, Jason Reitman announced he was writing and directing a new Ghostbusters film, which unlike the 2016 sequel, would be set in the same continuity as the original classic. Jason, who is also the son of Ghostbusters (1984) director Ivan Reitman, said he would “hand the movie back to the fans,” and now it seems we’re getting a little taste of that promise.
Ghostbusters Fan Fest is set to take place this Saturday in Los Angeles on the Sony Pictures Studio Lot. The Juno director revealed last night on Twitter that he’s bringing something to the festival this weekend, but we don’t know yet whether it’s related to his father’s movie, his upcoming sequel, or both.
In the tweet, Reitman shared an alternate take of Bill Murray from the original film, a time-coded shot of the actor shouting off, “I could use a tall cold one right now. It’s all taken care of. Did you see it? What is it?” with the caption:
“Working on a little surprise for this Saturday’s Ghostbusters Fan Fest. See you on the lot. #GB84”
The sequel’s unexpected announcement was released alongside a brief teaser trailer earlier this year, setting the bar pretty high for any additional surprises Reitman may have in store. Considering the production hasn’t even started shooting, it’s unlikely that the director would reveal another trailer at the fan fest and there’s a much better chance that the “little surprise” could be a teaser poster or a full casting announcement. After all, we know Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Carrie Coon have all joined the film, but who knows what other revelations are in store?
Both the original Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel are set to receive a new Steelbook 4K/Blu-ray release later this year as well. If the outtake tweeted above is any indicator, Reitman could be bringing any number of his father’s unreleased deleted scenes or never-before-seen outtakes for fans to see firsthand before anyone else.
Nevertheless, it sounds like it’s a great time to be a Ghostbusters obsessive. Fans of the entire franchise can meet stars Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and William Atherton at this weekend’s convention, in addition to director Ivan Reitman, theme songwriter Ray Parker Jr., as well as the cast and crew behind The Real Ghostbusters animated series. Meanwhile, the new Ghostbusters sequel is expected to start shooting later this summer.